The Good 'Ol Days ~ Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

Hello everyone!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Today, is the start of this week's brand new challenge starting over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog and it's all about "The Good 'Ol Days". We want you to take a walk down memory lane and whether you'd like to create a classic vintage project or try a technique you used to use ~ we want to see how you are inspired by days gone by!

Now that Halloween is over and we are heading towards Christmas, I decided to make a card that would encapsulate a traditional vintage Christmas and I was thrilled with how this card turned out. I actually think it's one of my all time favourites ~ I'm "that" happy with it and I hope you'll love it too!

So, here's how I created it...

To begin with I made a 18 x 20cm card blank from kraft card and inked the edges with Picket Fence Distress Stain. I then cut a matt of the gorgeous red and white candy striped paper from the Tim Holtz Paper Stash, inked and tore it around the edges before matting it onto layers of black, then white paper before mounting it onto the front of my card.

Now for the image and for this, I started with a piece of Manila cardstock and I applied various colours of Distress Stain onto my craft sheet. I misted the stains with water and then swiped my card through the stains to pick up the colour. After heat drying the card, I then went back to pick up any residue on the mat.

Next, I inked up the Music Score stamp from the Festive Sounds stamp set and stamped directly onto the inked background. I machine stitched around the edge of the card before distressing it lightly to give a more worn feel, spritzing it lightly with a Black Soot Distress Marker Pen and the Distress Marker Spritzer and then, mounted the music score background onto my covered card blank.

I then used one of my favourite dies, the Victorian Carolers to die cut Black Soot Core'dinations cardstock. I sanded the edges of the figures and attached them with foam pads.

I inked up some more Manila card using the same colours of Distress Stain and stamped the Christmas Carol wording onto it before cutting carefully cutting it out around the outline. I added this to my card, again using foam pads.

Finally, I added a crinkle ribbon bow that I had dyed with Festive Berries Distress Stain and placed this onto the front of my card, together with some die cut holly leaves, foliage and paper string.

As a finishing touch, I added a vintage button from my stash and a Snowflake adornment.

...and that completes my Good 'Ol Days Christmas card!

If you're looking for some more great ideas and inspiration for this challenge, then you need to look no further than the blog to see all the wonderful creations from all the very talented Design Team members and every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp. Good luck....

Thank you so much for all your visits today and hope you all have a great week ahead

See you again soon...love Emma xx

Products used:

Tim Holtz Sizzix Dies: Victorian Carolers, Mini Pine Tree and Holly Movers and Shapers Die from my own collection, Festive Greenery Strip Die

Tim Holtz Stamps: Festive Sounds

Distress Ink: Frayed Burlap, Iced Spruce, Forest Moss

Distress Stains: Pumice Stone, Picket Fence, Antiqued Bronze, Brushed Corduroy, Festive Berries

Black Soot Distress Marker Pen

Distress Marker Spritzer Tool

Idea-Ology ~ Snowflake Adornments, Wire Pin, Paper String, Crinkle Ribbon

Surfaces: Distress Core'dinations Paper Pad, Tim Holtz Merriment Paper Stash, Black Card, White Card, Ranger Manila Card, Ranger Kraft Card

Jet Black Archival Ink

Ranger Craft Sheet

Big Shot

Tim Holtz Sanding Tool

Ranger Blending Tool